I
watched the rage spill over on my screen. The scenes unfolding were
strangely familiar. The rage transcended beyond the screen. I could feel
the frustration. It was deja vu. Only this time, the streets and the
people were unfamiliar.
Just
like Kenyans had taken to the streets last year to protest Parliament's
passing of the annual Finance Bill, Indonesians took to the streets to
protest their own similar agendas.
In
a video that has since gone viral, Indonesian elected officials were
seen to be dancing and celebrating gleefully as they passed a bill that
would increase their salaries and monthly allowances significantly.
In
a country where 60 per cent of the population lives under the middle
class threshold, the anger was justified. Even as a Kenyan or simply a
person who pays taxes and elects public officials, I was angry, too!
Seeing
the obnoxious smiles and greedy grins of the Indonesian elected
officials made my blood boil. Seeing them dance like demented cats for
the sole reason of getting more money while their own people suffered is
reason enough to applaud the revolution.
As
I watched the angry mobs loot and set fire to government buildings and
other elected officials' private homes, I couldn't help but think about
the similar scenes we saw from Sri Lanka just a couple of years prior
over unsustainable borrowing. Nepal is also in turmoil that has included
Gen Zs burning Parliament and forcing the prime minister to resign
after an aborted ban on social media.
At
this rate, we seem to have major demonstrations every few months in
almost every country. The common denominator is always the same: harsh
economic times coupled by corrupt governments.
Political
riots and civil unrest have become a trendy agenda in modern society.
Any time the people feel their displeasure with the government, they let
their displeasure show. Which is why I am still baffled at the sheer
audacity of elected offices acting like demi-gods when they are in
Parliament.
They
act like they do not walk the same streets we walk, buy the same
groceries we buy or act like their power is infinite. They act like
people who do not have to live within the consequences of their own
decisions.
They
know very well that their power is fleeting. They know that while they
pass laws and regulate government function, it is because the people
gave them the power to do so.
They
know that real power has always been in the hands of the people. Yet,
as soon as they get elected, they forget their promises as the people's
representatives and only wish to enrich themselves.
It
is unfortunate that this behaviour of public officials transcends
borders and continents. It appears that we all suffer the same problem
regardless of our nationalities.
In
the last year, we have had demonstrations not only from Kenya but from
many countries, such as Bangladesh, Mali and Indonesia.
Times
are hard but dealing with corrupt governments that make life a living
hell for their own people makes it unbearable. With nothing to lose, the
people have nothing to fear.
